Expressions of criticism have plagued historically black college and university (HBCU) presidents' leadership practices since the 1970s. Unstable leadership at these institutions could threaten their existence. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory single case study was to explore how HBCU presidents develop new facets of their leadership skills. The conceptual framework included two theories: self-regulation and self-leadership. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with 10 HBCU presidents. Four themes emerged from Braun and Clarke's six phases of thematic analysis: skills needed, strategies for developing skills, characteristics/qualities, and recommendations. The recommendations suggest that skills needed include communication, leadership, the ability to lead a team, decision-making, and listening. The findings showed that these HBCU presidents practiced self-leadership, self-regulation, and self-cognizance in developing new leadership skills. The positive social change implications are through organizations and those invested in HBCU leadership regarding the necessary skills of the HBCU president that may inform HBCU presidential aspirants of what could be needed to prepare for this role. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]